


and we're going down, yeah we're going soon

by iremade420



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 04:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10528992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iremade420/pseuds/iremade420
Summary: His grandmother did always tell him to marry his best friend.





	

**Author's Note:**

> yes i did make marco's grandmother gay and her wife a trans girl
> 
> anyways let's goooooo

“And then the princess jumped from the top of her tower-” the young boy reached towards the small princess figurine. He picked her up and flew her over his head, making a  _ swoosh _ noise with his mouth before setting her on the floor. He saw her blond hair had become messy from the land, and quickly moved it out of her face. He heard his grandmother giggle from the couch, and couldn’t help but smile. “And then she ran after the scary lizard monster!”

He crawled across the floor, keeping the figure in front of him. The boy picked the toy up before quickly setting her back down to give off the impression she was running. He quickly made his way to where a giant, lizard plush sat off to the side a few feet away. As he approached, he gave out a war cry. “That’s the cry she gave when she caught up to it! And then she fought it-”

He grabbed the lizard toy and repeatedly smashed the princess figurine against it. 

“Pow pow pow pow!” he yelled out. He then dropped the lizard plush to the floor, where it lay lifelessly. He stood up and raised the princess figure in the air, looking excitedly at his grandmother. “And her kingdom cheered once she defeated the monster! Now her people were safe and there was no more war!”

He dug his other hand into his hoodie pocket, where he kept a secret, hidden figure for the grand finale. He pulled it out and revealed it to his grandmother. It was a male figure with dark brown hair and dressed in a prince’s outfit. His grandma smiled, nodding for her grandson to continue with his story. “And then her best friend appeared from the crowd and hugged her! He had been really worried about her while she fought the monster-”

“She just confessed her love for him too, didn’t she?” he heard his grandmother giggle.

The young boy nodded to her. “Yes, but shh! We’re getting to that part, which is the super cool ending!” 

“Okay, okay, sorry. Please continue,  _ mi nieto _ .” his grandmother apologized, stifling another giggle.

He smiled before returning to his story. “As I was saying, he had been very, very worried about her. He hugged her and told her that being scared for her made him realize that he was also in love with her! Then they kissed and lived happily ever after!” 

He pushed the two figures together so their plastic lips were touching. He made a kissing noise by smacking his lips together. Once he got the point across, he stood up and bowed towards his grandmother. “The end!”

She stood up from the couch, her cheerful claps echoing throughout the living room. “Bravo, Marco, bravo!”

Marco beamed at her before placing the toys on the floor. Once he carefully set them down, the boy dashed towards his grandmother and jumped into her arms. She scooped him up into a hug, and the two giggled as they shared this intimate moment. After a few seconds, Marco pulled away to look up at her with wide, brown eyes.

“Did you like it?” he asked.

“Like it?” she rose an eyebrow. A worried look began to settle on his face at her response, but it vanished once she grinned and playfully spun him around. This earned her quite a few laughs from her grandson. “I loved it!”

She finished spinning him when Marco was convinced she truly had enjoyed his story. She then sat down on the couch with Marco on her lap. They both chuckled together for a few moments. 

“But,” his grandmother began, gently booping the young boy’s nose. “Not as much as I love you.”

“Grandmaaaa!” Marco’s voice shrilled, stretching out the  _ a’s _ . He snickered as he held his nose. Being on the topic of love caused a thought to occur to him. He perked up. “Hey grandma, what was grandmother Isabella like?”

Truthfully, the boy had always wanted to know. He knew very little of grandmother Isabella; all he knew about her was that she was one of his father’s mother’s and had died from illness days after he was born. He’d always been rather nervous to ask his grandmother this, mostly due to his parents telling him that she had been absolutely devastated when Isabella died. He had tried asking his father about her before, and was told she was an amazing, kind, and supportive mother. Still, he felt like he needed to know more about his family. Especially what it was about Isabella that made his grandmother fall  _ hard.  _ Marco had heard from his parents that the two were inseparable; soulmates, even.

His grandmother never fell in love with anyone else too, so he wondered what about Isabella made it impossible for his grandmother to be romantically involved with anyone else. She must have been an amazing woman.

He saw his grandmother freeze as she gazed down at him. He gulped, thinking this might have been a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. Her face then melted into an understanding expression seconds later. She gave her grandson a small smile.

“Isabella… she… she was  _ mi amor _ ,” she began, her voice full of love. “We met in freshman year of high school, and we instantly just-  _ clicked _ !”   
  
Marco’s eyes widened with wonder. He tugged at his grandmother’s shirt sleeve. “Tell me more!”

She chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm before continuing. “We had a lot in common and enjoyed each other’s company. We did everything together- shopping, going to school dances, parties, sleepovers- whenever we had any time to spend together, we always did. We also went through so much… through the good and bad, we always stuck together like glue.

“By the end of sophomore year, I realized I had fallen in love with her. It was hard to accept, because I thought this other girl at school was  _ the one _ . Her name was Sofia, and she was a very brave, kind person. I managed to confess to her, and we dated for a short while. I had a huge crush on her- or so I thought. It was more of an idolization thing, she was always so confident and felt like she was… worthy. Since I was the exact opposite, I guess I really looked up to her for that.

“She taught me how to see myself better, to stop putting myself down so much. This perfect person, in my eyes, taught  _ me _ I was worthy, just like her. I still can’t thank her enough for that, even to this day. Once she helped me overcome the idea that I wasn’t good enough, we broke up, but still remained very good friends. Afterwards, I discovered a few things. I always felt rather… nervous around Sofia, but with Isabella I could always be myself around her without any worries. She… she had always made me feel like I was good enough, I just never realized it until Sofia really opened my eyes. Isabella was always reassuring me and there for me, she was my best friend, my home.

“I fell extremely hard for her once I saw just how amazing of a person she was. I confessed to her by asking her to prom, and she accepted and admitted she had loved me for a very long time. When we danced together, it felt like I was walking on air. I had never been so happy…

“Years later, we got married and had your father. I was so overjoyed to be raising a family with her, to be living my life with her.”

A deep blush had appeared on his grandmother’s face as she smiled blissfully at the ceiling. Marco stared up at her, his eyes full of stars. When she looked back down at her grandson, she let out a nervous giggle and rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away there.”

“That. Was. Awesome!” Marco cheered, throwing his hands in the air. “That was the greatest love story I’ve ever heard, even better than the one I just showed you!”

His grandmother laughed. A bright smile spread across her face.

“You know what,  _ mi nieto _ ?” she suddenly said. “Marry your best friend. You won’t regret it.”

Marco blinked. “But I wanna marry Jackie, and we’re not best friends. We haven’t even talked yet!”

The young boy huffed with exasperation. He looked down at the living room floor, distress on his face. He really liked Jackie, but he always felt so anxious around her. She was just so cool, and he was, well, not. He heard his grandmother hum to get his attention. He looked back up to her, and she shot him a supportive smile.

“You can love who you want Marco,” she winked before continuing. “I’m just saying that don’t be too surprised if you ever find yourself head over heels for your best friend.”

i.

Heavy bags were under Marco’s eyes, but he couldn’t find it in him to close them for a goodnight’s sleep. He just wanted to stay awake until she came back to him. He wanted to stare at his ceiling and try to piece together what happened until he either figured it out, or she returned. She had said her goodbyes a week ago, but it was still hard for him to comprehend that she was  _ gone _ .

He clutched a pillow to his chest, her words replaying over and over in his head like a broken record.

**_“I… I… I do have a crush on you.”_ **

**_“I didn’t want to admit it because I know you don’t feel the same way, and I thought if I just pretended the feelings weren’t there, they’d go away… but they haven’t.”_ **

**_“I have to leave Earth, probably forever, and I couldn’t go without telling you the truth.”_ **

**_“Goodbye! Goodbye everyone!”_ **

Star had a crush on him? She had to leave Earth, forever?

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. What had come up that made her have to leave? Was it… was it because of him? She had just left him with nothing but a confession. Every trace of her ever living here was gone, except for her words that still hung in the air and the pictures on the wall.

He wondered if he really was the reason she left. Had he been a terrible friend and broke her heart, even if he didn’t realize it? What if he was never going to see her again? He had tried to reach Mewni with his dimensional scissors, but it was on lockdown, there was no getting in or out. When he had tried to find Hekapoo to see if she could get him there, she was nowhere to be found. He tried asking Pony Head and any other friends from other dimensions of his and Star’s he could think of, but they had no idea what was going on, nor how to reach Mewni. Trying to get to Star was impossible. 

Marco started to feel tears well up in his eyes, but he no longer cared if they fell. He had cried so much since he saw both Star and her room disappear in front of him. He cried when every possible way to get to Mewni he could think of ended up being a complete failure. He cried when he had lost Star, his best friend, for what might be forever.

Had he really broken her heart? He didn’t know, he didn’t get to get one word out about how he felt about her before she left. Marco didn’t even know if his feelings for her were romantic or platonic, he had been so lost and confused to have time to really think on it. He just needed to know if she was okay and why she left Earth, but he had no answers on anything. If only he had been fast enough- then maybe he could help her with whatever it was that made her go, and maybe he could have figured out how he felt about her too.

His mind and heart were racing, and it was hard to focus on one thing at a time. She had left Earth days ago, but he still couldn’t understand what had happened. He’s barely slept or ate a healthy amount since she left. He was far too stressed and worried to even think about taking care of himself. 

All he wanted to know was what was going on with Star and how he could help. How he could be there for her, like he should be. She had always been by his side, and right now, he really needed to return the favor.

He averted his gaze from his ceiling to the nightstand next to him. On it sat a picture of him and Star. He had taken it the night they returned from the Blood Moon Ball. Pieces of her blond hair had fallen from her bun and fallen loosely around her shoulders, and her dress looked slightly wrinkled, but she still looked beautiful. He was wearing his Day of the Dead outfit without the mask, and holding a plate of nachos in his hand. Star was giving the camera a peace sign while looking excitedly at the ‘triangle food’. Marco’s arm was outstretched from holding the camera, and he was giving a big smile.

Tears fell down his cheeks as he reached out and scooped the photo in his hand. It was crumpled just a bit from hugging it far too much, but he still treated it as a treasure. It was one of the only things he had left from her. He held it above his face and stared at it. The photograph was becoming more and more blurry from his tears. The more he looked at it, the more he began to sob. God, how he wished he could go back to that moment. They looked so happy and they were  _ together _ . 

_ Please, please come back soon Star… _

ii.

“We need to talk,”

Jackie’s face was the definition of anxiety; burrowed eyebrows, tired green eyes, and a slight frown. She was clearly worried about him, and it pained Marco to see her this way. He had been avoiding her since the night Star left, ignoring texts and calls, staying home all day instead of going out. He knew he probably should have talked to her, she was his girlfriend after all, he was just so depressed and scared ever since his best friend disappeared from his life. He couldn’t find the strength to talk to anyone, not even his parents.

Still, Jackie was so sick with worry she showed up to Marco’s house instead of trying to reach him through the phone. She wanted to talk to him about this, and she wanted to talk to him about this  _ now.  _ She deserved it, Marco was well aware he had been terrible for ignoring her.

“Y-yeah,” he gulped, holding open the front door. “Come in.”

She walked into his living room and looked around. A sad expression appeared on her face as she looked towards the stairs. It was like she was realizing just how quiet and empty it was without  _ her  _ around. Marco closed the door and lead his girlfriend to the couch. They sat, looking at each other in silence before Jackie spoke.

“Marco… I’ve been really worried about you,” she began slowly. “You’ve just, been ignoring everyone since Star left, and I know it’s probably really hard on you, but you can’t just shut everyone out. Star… Star wouldn’t want that.”

Marco sighed. She was right, they both knew that. “I’m sorry Jackie, it’s just… I’ve been so lost. I’ve tried to reach her, but I can’t no matter what I do. I’m so worried about her, I don’t even know if she’s o-okay or-”

He started to get choked up, tears forming in the back of his eyes.  _ Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry. _ But it was too late. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He quickly tried to wipe them away and cover them up, but stopped when Jackie pulled him into a hug. She gently rubbed his back and quietly  _ shh’d  _ him.   
  
This kind act of comfort caused Marco to start bawling. He hugged the girl tight and sobbed into her shoulder. Not once did she attempt to stop him or pull away. She continued to try to ease his sadness and fear. She let him get it all out.

After a few minutes of silent consolation, Marco pulled away. He wiped the last stray tears away, taking deep breaths to calm himself. “S-sorry, I-”

“No, it’s okay,” she interrupted with a small smile. “I’m glad you got it out. How are you feeling?”

He sighed. “A little better, I guess. I’m just so scared that- that she left because of me.” He looked to the floor, wondering if it really was true. He had spent countless nights unable to sleep due to the fear that he drove someone important to him away.

“Oh, Marco,” came Jackie’s tender voice. She reached out to cup his face. His brown eyes met her green eyes. They were full of sympathy. “I’m sure it wasn’t because of you. She said something had come up, right? Maybe it’s some sort of family problem or royal business.”

“Maybe,” he mumbled. “I mean- what if she’s in danger? And I’m not there to fight by her side, I- what if-”

“Hey,” she stopped him. “I’m sure she’s just fine. She’s a tough girl, she can take care of herself.”

He let out a sad chuckle. “Yeah, she’s pretty powerful. I… I just want to know for sure that she’s at least safe, but I have no way to contact her.”

“We’ll find out, I’m sure one of her friends from her dimension will know what’s going on eventually, and they’ll let you know,” she said. She sounded so certain; Marco wished he could have some of her confidence.

“Yeah,” he nodded. He had to find out sooner or later, didn’t he? Mewni may be on lockdown, but that didn’t mean news couldn’t get out. Whether it be good or bad, Marco would eventually know about Star’s situation, and be willing to help no matter what. “You’re right.”

He looked back where Jackie once looked. His eyes glanced over the stairs, the same stairs he had chased after Star on before she disappeared.

_ Just please, please be okay… _

iii.

“I think you’re in love with her,”

He stared at her, his brown eyes widening. She was glancing up at him. Her features displayed something that was a mixture of knowing and sadness. 

It had been a little over a month since Star left Earth, and Marco hadn’t heard a single word about her, her situation, or if she was okay. He still worried everyday about her, and tried to contact her friends that lived in different dimensions to see if they had learned anything. Despite this, life was somewhat returning back to normal. It was slow and hard at first, but he got around to getting the right amount of sleep, eating better, and hanging out with his girlfriend and friends. They always did his best to try to get his mind off of it, but no matter what, the dreadful fear still lurked in the back of his mind. 

_ Is she safe? Is her situation, whatever it is, getting better or worse? Does she miss me? Does she hate me? Will I ever see her again? Is she really gone forever? _

He never brought it up to anyone, not unless they asked him to vent to them. They could tell when everything was too much, when too many things reminded him of Star, when the anxiety became unbearable and he needed to talk it out to recover again, even if only for a little while.

Tonight was one of those nights. Jackie was over to watch a movie with Marco. However, neither of them knew the movie’s protagonist would resemble Star so much. After seeing Marco get extremely overwhelmed after a scene that was too much like what happened when Star left, Jackie had to stop the film and dry his tears.

After he calmed down and said he was okay now, maybe they could find something else to watch, she had just simply said it. Now here they were, sitting on the couch with the truth out in the open.

“W-what?” Marco managed to stutter out. 

Jackie sighed and stared at the blanket resting on her legs. “I think that you’re in love with Star.”

He shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders. “What- Jackie, no. I love you, you’re my girlfriend, Star’s just-”

“Marco, it’s okay,” Jackie stopped him. She sounded both broken and relieved at the same time. “I don’t think you ever realized it until Star was gone, and having her leave you so suddenly caused your feelings to surface. Missing her and not having her around has just… made it obvious.”

Her green eyes met his brown ones. Tears were starting to form in hers, and Marco wiped them away with his thumb. “Jackie…”

“I’ve seen you around her too, you’re more open with her than me. You’re more confident in what you say and what you do, more living life to the fullest and having fun with her, and I think that’s what you need. You have a problem with putting yourself down, thinking you’re unworthy, but when you’re with Star, it’s like she makes those insecurities go away. That’s what I really want for you, to be happy with yourself… I know you’ve always idolized me since kindergarten, and it played a trick on you to think it was love.”   


Marco only looked down at her in response. Realization and sadness started to sink in. Did he really fall in love with his best friend without even realizing it? Star  _ did  _ make him happy. She did always reassure him whenever he had doubts, whether about himself or a given situation. It was always an adventure with her, not once a dull moment. They had been through so much together, and always had each other’s backs. They fought together and protected each other. The thought of just being around her made Marco’s heart swell.

_ Oh God. I am in love with Star _ .

He felt his own tears began to form. How could have he been so oblivious? Jackie seemed to know it all along, why didn’t she announce her thoughts sooner? She seemed so hurt, and it killed him to know it was because of him.

He was about to speak but her hand reached up to cup his cheek. Her eyes shone with sorrow, but also with succor in helping Marco understand his conflicting feelings. “I love you Marco, but you are not mine.”

A single tear fell down her cheek, and Marco immediately pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. Marco was reminded of the time where their positions were flipped; he was the one in need of comfort, and Jackie was there to provide it. Now, he needed to be the one there for her. He gently patted her back soothingly and whispered to her. “I’m so sorry, Jackie. I never really did realize just how strong my feelings were for Star, you’ve really opened my eyes, and now-  _ I’m so, so sorry _ .”

A few moments passed before she lifted her head from his shoulder and faced him. She quickly wiped away a few tears and gave him a small smile. “It’s okay, Marco, really. I understand. Emotions, they’re a weird thing, and hard to fully comprehend.”

She took his hands into hers before continuing. “I just want you to be happy, with yourself and with others, and that happiness is with Star. You are worth people’s time, worthy of love, and you believe that when Star’s with you. I’ll move on, so don’t worry about me, I’m just glad I helped you realize your feelings for Star.”

“Jackie… thank you. I never even knew, so thank you for figuring it out for me. You’re really amazing, and… if you want, I hope we can still be friends?” he asked, anxious about asking that last part. All fear of rejection diminished when Jackie’s eyes shone with joy and she beamed at him. She was looking a lot happier compared to earlier.

“Of course Marco, I would love that,” 

The two hugged for the first time as friends, and smiled at each other once they pulled away. Getting the truth out in the open and sorting out their feelings made things significantly better between them, even if they weren’t a couple anymore. 

“What do you say we ditch this movie and watch a Mackie Hand movie?” Jackie suggested.

“That sounds way better,” Marco nodded eagerly. He then glanced over to the plate of nacho’s sitting on the coffee table. He had prepared them for their movie night, and now they weren’t looking all that appetizing. “I should probably heat those up first though, they’re looking cold now.”

iv.

“Star? Star!” Marco screamed. He dodged the fallen ruins of the monster temple and kept running ahead. He stopped every now and then to glance around for any sign of the princess before taking off again. He would also look under the rubble if he found what looked to be any remains of her, and would then breathe a sigh of relief to find it was only some sort of fabric that was once part of the temple. 

Shortly after his movie night with Jackie, Marco had received a call from Tom, where the demon boy had explained that Toffee had returned and there was a giant war happening on Mewni. Mewni had also temporarily left lockdown mode to receive backup from other dimensions. It was a lot to process and made Marco’s anxiety about Star a million times worse, but he still instantly opened a portal to Mewni. He needed to be there for her.

Once he arrived, he found himself in some part of the castle. It was a ginormous room that seemed to be transformed into an infirmary. He had thought of the portal transporting him to the throne room, but instead it automatically sent him there. He guessed it had been set to do that by Hekapoo due to the bloodbath currently underway. All around him, he could see royal staff aiding injured warriors, both Mewman and monster. He didn’t have any time to think on it before one of the staff walked up to him, asking how and why a human was here. He said he was Marco Diaz, and their eyes widened upon realizing who he was. He mentally thanked Song Day for making him well-known across Mewni before asking where Star was. The staff member then quietly explained that the battle was coming to an end, and Toffee had taken Star to some monster temple for the final showdown.

He immediately took off to the top of the castle to get a good look at the area. He reached the top only to see thousands and thousands of Mewmans and monsters fighting. They were scattered all across Mewni, from the town to the corn fields, they were everywhere. He looked out in the distance to see if he could spot what might look like a monster temple, but to no avail. 

He couldn’t find or get to Star, and the danger of this situation was finally crashing down on him. Toffee was fighting with Star somewhere, and she was fighting  _ alone _ . Toffee had kidnaped Marco before, and so Marco knew Toffee wouldn’t care about doing something terrible to get Star’s wand. There was no doubt in his mind that Toffee wouldn’t hesitate to fatally injure or even kill Star. 

_ What if she’s already dead? _

The thought made him sick. He fell to his knees, trying to focus on not throwing up at the idea. No, she had to be okay, she  _ had  _ to be. His eyes fell on his dimensional scissors, which were still gripped in his hands. He slowly separated the blades, seeing his reflection in one, and nothing in the other. He closed his eyes, remembering when he was in Hekapoo’s dimension and given the choice to stay or return to Earth. When he had saw both his and Star’s reflection in each blade, the choice was obvious.

He opened his eyes, looking down at his scissors one last time. He then stood up, determination in his posture and brown eyes.  _ I need to get to her. _

He held the scissors up in front of him, thinking hard of Star. He thought of her long blond hair, the pink heart’s on her cheeks, her blue eyes, how she sounded, her laugh, her kindness, how silly and fun she could be, how adventurous and daring of a person she was, how much he loved her.

_ Please, please… take me to Star. _

He cut into the air and almost cried tears of joy once a portal appeared. It had taken him to what seemed like a monster temple, but destroyed. Pink and green magic marks covered the walls and ceiling, rubble scattered the floor, and Star and Toffee were nowhere to be found.

He had been searching this place all over with no luck. His fear was starting to get to him. What if he had been too late? What if Toffee won and disposed of her already? What if-

His thoughts came to a halt when he heard a loud explosion come from overhead. He looked up, seeing the ceiling violently shake. Pieces of debris and dust started to crumble and fall. Marco dodged what came towards him, while listening and waiting for anything else. 

There was nothing but only deadly silence that followed.

His mind and feet raced. He desperately looked for any way that could get him up to the roof. He pushed rubble out of the way to try to get through doors, but they only lead him to destroyed rooms. As he ran through what used to be a throne room, he saw what looked like to be a doorframe out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and whipped around to face it. Large pieces of the ceiling and walls sat in front of it, and he saw a faint hint of green and pink magic aura coming through the door.

He dashed over to it, using all his strength to move the debris away. He then threw the door open, finding an unstable set of stairs. Marco quickly but carefully made his way up them, avoiding any spots that would crumble and cause him to fall. As soon as he reached the top to the roof, he gasped at the sight in front of him.

Everything was completely demolished. Towers had fallen and disintegrated upon impacting with the roof. Traces of green and pink magic were splattered like paint all over the place. Among the magic splatters was a thick, red liquid. Marco’s stomach dropped once he realized what it was. He need to find Star  _ right now.  _

He cautiously made his away across the roof, avoiding any places that looked like they might fall into the floor below. He did his best to ignore the blood scattered around the area, only focused on finding Star. He searched around the roof for a few minutes before he spotted a body. As he approached, he froze and felt a feeling of sickness wash over him.

Toffee’s corpse was covered in both green and pink magic marks, as well as blood. His eyes were left open and lifeless. The monster’s normal dark-blue skin was becoming freakishly pale. His body lay in a stiff heap among the roof debris. Marco nearly vomited at the sight, but was able to get ahold of himself. He shuddered as he slowly moved closer to feel for a pulse.

Nothing. Toffee was dead and gone.

Marco rose, wiping the blood from his fingers onto his red hoodie. If Toffee was here, Star shouldn’t be too far either. God, he just hoped she was  _ alive _ .

He turned away from Toffee’s body and continued searching. He carefully surveyed the area for any traces of the princess. It wasn’t long before his eyes fell upon something in the distance. He felt a dreadful feeling rush through him once he reached the object. Laying in front of him was her red headband with horns. Some parts of it had darker shades of red splattered on it. Marco’s heartbeat quickened, and he felt like he might pass out at the sight. He picked up the blood-stained accessory that belonged to  _ her _ and stared at it in horror.

“Oh my god,” he croaked. He cried out as loud as he could. “Star!”

Silence.

The same thought ran through his brain at a million miles per hour.  _ She’s dead she’s dead she’s dead she’s dead she’s dead. _

He shook his head, trying to pull himself together. No, she couldn’t be dead. She was the brave, powerful Star Butterfly. She couldn’t be dead.  _ She… she just can’t be _ .

He pushed down his thoughts and tears before continuing to look for her. He followed marks of pink magic, hoping it may lead him to her. He occasionally looked down at her headband, tears forming. How could this have happened? Just months ago, they were together and safe. Things weren’t like this, everything was normal and the way it should be. They were happy and going on mostly harmless adventures together. But now- now….

He looked up and all the memories running through his head  _ froze _ . His mouth and hands fell open, causing her headband to drop and land among the blood-stained rubble. There was no stopping the tears this time, they poured from his eyes and down cheeks, making a faint  _ splat  _ noise when they hit the roof. His entire body trembled fiercely. He tried to walk forward, but his legs gave out beneath him, forcing him to fall to his knees. He crawled towards what was in front of him, not caring about the sharp pieces of debris stabbing into his skin or the blood sticking to him. He couldn’t think, couldn’t believe what he saw before him.

Just ahead a few feet was Star’s injured, lifeless, bloodied body. She was laying on her back, limbs sprawled out in different directions. Cuts and bruises were dotted all over her, with blood still seeping out of some of them. Her eyes were peacefully closed, and her lips slightly parted with a small trail of blood trickling out and pooling close to her shoulder. One of her arms laid far from her, completely limp with her hand open. Her wand sat a few inches away, in no better shape than she was. Parts had been chipped and some broken off completely. Dozens and dozens of scratches painted the still wand. It was stained with red, green, and pink.

_ No no no no no no this can’t be happening this can’t be happening _ . Marco didn’t want to believe it,  _ he couldn’t believe it _ . Star, she- she couldn’t go out, not like this. She was supposed to defeat Toffee and come back in one piece,  _ alive _ . She was supposed to be okay and return to Earth with him, and the two could live together in tranquility with no fear about evil beings trying to separate them for eternity. They would be together again, loving each other not only as best friends, but as lovers. He would hold her close and kiss her and grow old with her. Hell, he would even be king of Mewni for her, he didn’t care. As long as they were together. They were supposed to support each other and live out their lives together in bliss.  _ That’s how it was supposed to be; what he dreamed it would be. _

But here she lies, dead and gone before him. Shattering any hope he had of getting her back, keeping her safe from any harm. He slowly crawled closer, vision blurrying from his tears. Sobs wracked his whole body, and the severe trembling caused him to stumble, be he kept going. With every inch he got closer to her, the more reality was setting in. It laughed in his face, cackling about how  _ oh so foolish _ he had been to believe things would be okay, that everything would turn out how he hoped it would. But it didn’t, and this wasn’t some nightmare he would jump awake from on those sleepless nights where he thought of her, missed her. No, this was real life, and there was no going back.

_ You were too late and now she’s dead you’re never going to see her again it’s because of you you weren’t here to fight with her you were too late she’s gone and it’s because of you you you you. _

Once he reached her, Marco’s shaking hands slowly wrapped around Star. He pulled her body into his lap, staring with wide, glassy eyes at how lifeless she was. Her face was so sickly pale, yet she looked so peaceful. He reached a hand up to cup her face, hoping,  _ praying _ that by some miracle she would wake up.

Nothing.

He gave out a mournful cry and pulled her head towards his chest. He hugged her tight, knowing he had lost her. His entire body shook with sobs, and only the sound of his broken heart echoed throughout the temple. Tears streamed down his cheeks and fell onto her face, mixing with the magic and blood. He didn’t want to let her go, even though she was long gone. Everything about him was dead with her; his happiness, hope, reason to go on. She was gone forever. He really was never going to see her again. He was never going to hear her cheerful laughter, never travel across the dimensions with her, never share secrets and stories with her in the dead of night, never tell her his feelings for her. She was gone, and she was never coming back.

Without any thought except for the fact she truly had perished, he only held her. It was the only thing he could do. To be there for her, just one last time, even if she wasn’t there to feel it or see it. 

“M… Marco?” a hoarse whisper suddenly came from beneath him. Marco felt his heart stop. He pulled away from the one-sided hug and looked down at the face under him. Star was staring up at him, her blue eyes half-lidded and full of confusion and disbelief. Color was beginning to return to her cheeks. Her body stirred in his lap, breathing slowly and gaining signs of life again. She spoke with a quiet, strained voice. “What… what are you… doing here…?”

Marco’s body began to tremble furiously again, but for a different reason. It shook with the happiness and awe that she was okay.  _ She was alive _ . She was breathing and moving and her heart was beating. He moved one hand to support her back so her head could continue resting on his chest. His other hand flew to cup her face, tears of joy spilling down his cheeks as he looked over her face in delightful disbelief. A smile began to spread across his face. He was so overwhelmed by the pure relief and happiness that she was alive, that all the words he wanted to say came slipping out rapidly.

“O-oh my God, I- I thought you were dead! I’ve been t-trying to get to you ever since you left, but Mewni was on l-lockdown and I had no idea what was going on- but then it left lockdown I was able to get to the c-castle and then get to you here- and I found Toffee b-before I found you-  _ I really, really thought you were dead _ \- and I felt completely lost and f-full of emptiness because I didn’t think I would get to s-see you again and be with you and tell you I l-love you- but now you’re awake and a-alive and-”

“Woah, woah, slow down,” she stopped him, letting out a light chuckle. Her voice still sounded raspy, but it was starting to sound more  _ alive _ . It was sounding more like her. He laughed and grinned at her as more tears fell. She really was going to be okay. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy you’re alive- I thought I lost you,” he mumbled the last part. The hand that was cupping her face moved to her bangs, stroking them out of her face before settling back on her cheek. 

“I don’t know how I’m alive, if I’m going to be honest,” she admitted quietly. She winced as she raised her own hand to lay on Marco’s. She leaned into his caress, a small smile appearing on her lips and pink dusting her cheeks. “I didn’t expect to live the explosion I created- but I’m glad I did, because now I get to see you.”

He blushed at her words, wanting to just kiss her right then and there. He stopped himself when her condition occurred to him. “Oh my God- you’re hurt! We need to get you to the infirmary, there’s one in the castle, it’s where I first showed up when I got to Mewni.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Star nodded up at him, her blue eyes not leaving his brown ones. “But first, I need to know- is… is Toffee…” 

She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Marco was silent once he realized what she was implying. Her eyes were so full of fear, fear of Toffee and rejection. He shot her a small smile, rubbing his thumb against her cheek comfortingly. “Yeah, you don’t need to worry about him anymore.”

Star let out a sigh upon hearing his words. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Okay,” she silently croaked.

He bent his head down, and gently rested his forehead against hers. This silent act of affection let her know it was going to be okay. Marco knew Star didn’t want to resort to killing Toffee, she would have given anything to defeat him some other way. But there wasn’t any other choice. He had seen the dozens of Mewmans and monsters in the infirmary earlier, and knew Toffee was responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries. He wasn’t going to stop until he himself was…  _ stopped _ .

“Let’s get you fixed up, okay?” he whispered as he pulled away. Star opened her eyes, blinking the tears away. She gave him a slight nod. Marco tenderly removed his hand from her cheek and reached into his hoodie pocket for his dimensional scissors. He quickly cut open a portal to the infirmary before slipping the scissors back in his pocket. He then wrapped his free hand around her popliteal while still keeping his other hand on her back. Her arms reached up to wrap around his neck, and she buried her face into his chest. He slowly and carefully lifted her up so he was holding her bridal style. He felt her grimace and give out a small whimper. 

“You okay?” he asked, looking down at her with worry. 

She nodded. “Yeah- it just hurts.”

He quickly made his way through the portal, holding Star close to him. When they arrived in Mewni’s infirmary, eyes were already on them. At first, the Mewmans and monsters were watching the portal and wondering who was coming through. Once they recognized the girl in Marco’s arms, dozens of gasps filled the room. Others cheered for joy upon seeing the princess return alive and winning the battle against Toffee. 

“Quickly, get her a bed and to the surgical room! Also someone alert the king and queen that the princess has returned!” a staff member ordered. They all hurriedly took off in two different directions, while the patients celebrated the victory from their beds. Star smiled in response, causing the clapping and whooping and hollering for her to grow louder. Marco’s eyes never once left her face. He just wanted to soak up the blissful feeling that she was alive, she was going to be alright, and they were together again.

“Hey,” she suddenly turned to meet his eyes. Her blue ones were shining with wonder and curiosity, and she was attempting to hold back a nervous smile. Even though she was covered in bruises and cuts, she still looked adorable to Marco. Her voice was quiet and uncertain, but hopeful at the same time as she inquired him. “Back there… when you said you were in love with me… did- did you really mean it?”

Marco’s face flushed once he remembered what she was referring to. He forgot that confession had stumbled out. He had hoped to tell her his feelings under better circumstances, but he was so wrapped up in his gaiety over her being alive that it had sort of… came out. Her face was starting to twist with doubt as the silence between them dragged on. He leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead before whispering to her. “I love you, Star.”

He pulled away to see her face light up. Joyful tears were spilling down her cheeks. She laughed giddily as she placed her head on his chest. “I love you too, Marco.”

He rested his chin on her head, a large smile on his face and his stomach dancing with cheerfulness. The royal staff returned seconds later with a bed for the princess. Marco carefully placed her on it, still not letting go of her by taking hold of her hand. The staff prepared to roll her away before she spoke.

“You can go back to Earth if you want- I’m sure I’ll go back once I heal…” she mumbled, gripping his hand. She was about to let go of it before Marco leaned towards her, placing his other hand around hers. Both of his hands held hers tight, and he whispered to her sweetly.

“I’m not going anywhere, Star,”

She flashed him a bright smile. With love in their eyes and hearts, they continued to hold hands and bask in their joy of being together again until she was rolled away. He gave her a small, encouraging wave once they had to let go of each other. He saw Star smirk and blow him a kiss. He laughed and pretended to catch it, putting on his best, love-struck face for her. He saw her giggle before disappearing behind the surgery room door.

He would be there when she slept off the drugs from her surgery, and he would be there when she woke up in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> good lord i don’t think i’ve ever wrote so much angst in my life. this fic was meant to be fluffy but uh, haha it took a different route. at least i provided a happy ending
> 
> also i listened to 'when it gets dark out' by lydia on repeat while writing this, which inspired the title
> 
> i am dying to see what happens in season three omggggg. anyways i hope you enjoyed this *throws glitter*


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